The University of Cincinnati women’s track and field program volunteered this past Saturday at the Girls on the Run of Greater Cincinnati 5K at Sawyer Point.

Girls on the Run is an organization with a mission to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

The entire team started the event off by leading the participants in stretches. Once the race began, UC student-athletes were positioned around the 5K course to cheer on the 1,100 girls. Following the race, the team signed autographs and led the post-race celebration.

Girls on the Run was established in 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Girls on the Run® curricula, the heart of the program, provides pre-adolescent girls with the necessary tools to embrace their individual strengths and successfully navigate life experiences. The earliest version of the 24­ lesson curriculum was piloted in 1996 with the help of thirteen brave girls. Twenty-six girls came the next season, then seventy-five. In 2000, Girls on the Run International, a 501c3 organization was born. With the help of over 55,000 volunteers, the Girls on the Run program is now serving over 130,000 girls in 200+ cities across North America each year.